Vancouver Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi has provided an update on his club's search for a new head coach, stating a new gaffer could be in place as early as next week.
“It's imperative that we get it done as soon as possible,” Lenarduzzi (above) told Vancouver radio station TEAM 1040 on Tuesday. “We're in a situation where it's not necessarily something that we're in complete control and that we can announce that coach whenever we want.
“We also have to acknowledge that the people that we're talking to have commitments and don't have the ability to make that decision as quickly as we would like. Having said all of that, I would hope that by next week that we would be able to confirm who the next coach of the Whitecaps will be.”
Lenarduzzi did concede, however, during his interview with the station that the search has taken longer than initially hoped – pointing to the option decisions last week as something that in an ideal world would have been up to a new coach.
“Initially when we began the coach search, our deadline was to have it done by the time we needed to commit to options on players,” Lenarduzzi said. “Obviously we didn't get it done by then and we needed to make some decisions without a coach in place. Not the best scenario, but something we had to do.
“Now that that date has gone by, there's nothing really pressing. Having said that, we have such a short offseason – we'll begin [preseason training camp] the third to fourth week of January.”
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When asked specifically about former United States and Egypt manager Bob Bradley, who several reports have indicated is a frontrunner for the role, Lenarduzzi wouldn't be drawn, but did suggest the club will try and hold off for the best option available if necessary.
“We're relatively confident that the people that are in the final stages for the opportunity to coach the Whitecaps are very interested in the club,” Lenarduzzi said. “But until we actually get that commitment, we need to have a Plan A, a Plan B and a Plan C.”
Martin MacMahon covers the Vancouver Whitecaps for MLSsoccer.com.
